Pages

Tuesday, 25 December 2012

Turkey Orders Nearly 10 Dozen Sidewinder Missiles

The up-arming of NATO ally Turkey continues. In recent weeks, the country, which shares a border with war-wracked Syria, has requested deployment of multiple batteries of Patriot surface-to-air missiles from Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S., to protect its southern border. Now it appears to be buying more weapons directly from the U.S. to further beef up its armed forces.On Monday, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that it has notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the government of Turkey. If approved by Congress, Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) will sell the Turkish armed forces some 117 advanced AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, along with related training and launching equipment. In total, the value of this arms deal is $140 million.In a statement on the proposed sale, DSCA noted that the Turkish Air Force is modernizing its fighter aircraft to bolster its air defenses. Turkey's air force includes several squadrons of Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) -built F-16 fighter jets , which are capable of carrying the new missile.